Moyes maps a solid future – with or without big guns

WHILE Manchester City could change the landscape of the Premier League this week and Champions League qualification would lead to some serious spending, Everton will once again look to prosper next season on the back of a couple of ‘Bosmans’.

But it is David Moyes’ attitude to the possibility of his own players running their contracts down that will perhaps be the most interesting part of this summer at Goodison Park. Failure to win at Stoke made yesterday’s game between Liverpool and Chelsea an irrelevance for Everton as they ran out of games to catch Rafael Benitez’s side despite suffering just two defeats since November and equalling their best-ever Premier League run of 10 unbeaten games.

After what has become a trademark dreadful start, Everton simply do not want the season to end, and with no chance to watch their sublime midfield for three months, neither do many observers.